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Let $(M, d)$ be a metric space and $K$ compact. It is known that $K$ is sequentially compact, so we can "run" Bolzano-Weierstrass on it.

I want to identify the set $\mathcal{F}$ of all functions $f: \mathbb{N} \rightarrow \mathbb{N}$ with the following property: for any sequence $x_n \in K$ there exists a convergent subsequence $x_{n_k}$ such that $n_k \le f(k)$ (where $n_k$ increasing).

Question 1: Suppose $K = [0, 1]$ with the usual metric. Is the set $\mathcal{F}$ non-empty?

Question 2: Will the set $\mathcal{F}$ change as we pick different $(M, d)$ and $K$?

As for the motivation of my question, I'm trying to find a quantitative version of Bolzano-Weierstrass, one that could possibly change as we choose different metric spaces.

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2 Answers 2

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There is no such function as soon as $M$ has at least two points. Let's call them $0,1$. Given an $f$, let $x_n=0$ for $n\le f(1)$, forcing us to take $x_{n_1}=0$. Let's say we took $n_1=1$. There are now $f(1)-1$ elements $x_n=0$ left in this initial segment, so if we follow up by a sufficiently long segment of $1$'s, we'll run out of $0$'s eventually and have to make $x_{n_k}=1$.

More precisely, we let $x_n=1$ for $f(1)<n\le f(f(1))$, and then we are forced to take $x_{n_{f(1)}}=1$.

Continuing in this way, we find a sequence with the property that any subsequence satisfying $n_k\le f(k)$ will have infinitely many ones and zeros.

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$\newcommand{\N}{\mathbb N}\newcommand{\R}{\mathbb R}\newcommand{\md}{\ (\operatorname{mod}2)}$This is to present a formalized version of the nice answer by Christian Remling.

Suppose that a function $f\colon\N\to\N$ as in question exists for $K=\{0,1\}$. Without loss of generality (wlog), $f$ is (strictly) increasing, and hence $f(k)\ge k$ for all $k\in\N$.

Let $g(0):=0$ and $g(m+1):=f(g(m)+1)$ for $m\in\N_0:=\N\cup\{0\}$. Then $g(m+1)\ge g(m)+1$ for $m\in\N_0$ and hence $g$ is increasing on $\N_0$.

Let $(x_n)$ be the sequence such that \begin{equation*} x_n= m \md\text{ if }g(m)<n\le g(m+1) \tag{1}\label{1} \end{equation*} for some $m\in\N_0$.

Suppose that a subsequence $(x_{n_k})$ of the sequence $(x_n)$ converges. Wlog $1\le n_1<n_2<\cdots$, so that $n_j\ge j$ for all $j\in\N$.

For $m\in\N_0$, let \begin{equation*} J(m):=\min\{j\in\N\colon n_j>g(m)\}. \tag{2}\label{2} \end{equation*} Then $1\le n_1<\cdots<n_{J(m)-1}\le g(m)$, so that $J(m)-1\le n_{J(m)-1}\le g(m)$, $J(m)\le g(m)+1$, and $f(J(m))\le f(g(m)+1)=g(m+1)$. So, recalling the condition $n_k\le f(k)$ for all $k\in\N$, we get \begin{equation*} g(m)<n_{J(m)}\le f(J(m))\le g(m+1). \end{equation*} So, by \eqref{1}, \begin{equation} x_{n_{J(m)}}=m \md \tag{3}\label{3} \end{equation} for all $m\in\N_0$. On the other hand, the integer-valued function $g$ is (strictly) increasing. So, by \eqref{2}, $J(m)\to\infty$ as $m\to\infty$.

Thus, \eqref{3} contradicts the assumption that the subsequence $(x_{n_k})$ of the sequence $(x_n)$ converges. $\quad\Box$

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